How I spent a night with The 1975 | Live Review & Concert Photos | St. Augustine Amphitheater, FL | May 10, 2016

by • May 17, 2016

I have waited a whole year and a half for this night, last time was in December of 2014. I caught The 1975 as a special guest for a local radio station’s Christmas show. I remember wanting more, becoming fixated on the live performance I had just seen. After that night in December, The 1975 was no doubt my favorite band. Period! In that span of about a year and a half, they scared all the fan base with cryptic messages only to announce a new aesthetic, a new cd, a new The 1975. I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful, yet so unaware of it was released in February, followed by the announcement of this North American tour, this date, tonight, May 10th, 2016 in St. Augustine on a cool spring night! I’m here, primed with knowing every song by heart, and ready to have my mind blown.

The two openers The Japanese House and Wolf Alice both are great compliments of this tour. The Japanese House who took the stage first–is fronted by Amber Bain, and are also part of the Dirty Hit Records family–reminded me of an Imogen Heap blend of indie rock. Right after they finished their set. The grungy pop Wolf Alice took the stage and from the 3 songs I caught from their set, the crowd was really into them. It was funny, this tour was filled with music all hailing from London. I feel like we sleep on a lot on really talented musical acts from across the pond. After Wolf Alice finished their set, I could see the huge stage setup that was commencing for The 1975’s set, and boy was I excited!

the 1975 live review 2016

After about a 2-minute intro where my anticipation was at an all-time high and frontman Matty Healy stating that their drummer George, who had just recently injured his shoulder, would not be performing with the band, but that he would be dancing extra hard for us. Then the bass dropped. The lights went off and popped right back on in shades of pink while they started the set out with “Love Me.” Here I am trying to take photos and soak in all of the music that my favorite band is playing like a foot in front of me.  I got to shoot two more songs before being ushered out of the photo pit, I ran to my car and threw my camera bag in the backseat and ran like Forrest Gump back into the amphitheater hoping I didn’t miss too much, luckily I had only really missed an overlude song and walked to my seat while “A Change of Heart” was being played.

Ahhhh, finally!  I get to take it all in, the lights, the production, and Matty Healy’s flamboyancy. As they continue their set, I’m beginning to realize that I am speechless. The set is PERFECT (even with a fill-in drummer). I am at my seat dancing to the 80’s feels and vibe of their song “She’s American.” I think to myself. “I will tell my kids about this show one day.” It was everything you could ask for in a concert and as I am typing this, it really is hard to put in words what The 1975 mean to me and how I feel when I hear their music. And now I’m witnessing these songs that I sing at the top of my lungs late at night while driving with my windows and pondering about my life-it’s let’s just say magical.

I think my favorite part of the night was when they came out to do the encore and began playing “If I Believe You.” The lyrical content of this song was only justified by the live performance, which felt like I had just been taken to heaven. The angelic way the lights were used mixed with the samples of a choir in the background. They play a few more encore songs before finally finishing with the ever so popular song “Sex.” Instantly, I begin dancing like a 12-year-old girl whose just heard *NYSNC for the first time. It will be awhile before I forget about the experience of this show, and it’s going to take a lot for another artist to top this as one of my favorite concerts of all time. Needless to say, if this very talented and hardworking band comes to your area, spend the money and go enjoy a night of great music and dancing! Thank you The 1975 for a night I won’t forget and pictures that I’ll treasure for years to come!

The 1975 Live Review by Jeff Roach, edited by Matthew Weller.

The 1975 Concert Photos by Jeff Roach.

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